Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reform the defence procurement system.

The Department is committed to continuous reform of its procurement process to make it more agile and to ensure it delivers the best possible value for money. Our continuing improvement agenda across Defence acquisition covers five themes:

*Improving cost estimating and cost control

*Improving relationships with industry

*Delivering strategic intent and Defence priorities through our requirements

*Empowering and enabling programme leadership

*Streamlining acquisition and approvals processes and addressing project resourcing challenges.

Steps the Department is currently taking include:

*Enhancing the capability and capacity of Senior Responsible Owners

*Improving commercial and project delivery skills

*Streamlining investment decision-making processes to reduce duplication and drive pace

*Supporting the Cabinet Office-led reforms to the UK's public procurement regime, leading on sector specific rules for Defence and Security.

This is consistent with our commitment in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, published in March 2021, to increasing the pace and agility of our acquisition processes.